


Eyes Like Stars

by thatstarlitsky



Series: Beneath an Infinite Sky [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Civilian Seonghwa, Dome Cities on Mars, Ex-Pirate Hongjoong, M/M, Mars, Martian Military, Sex in Space, Spaceships, yeah i went there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-25 00:27:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21108491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatstarlitsky/pseuds/thatstarlitsky
Summary: On the balcony of his apartment in the largest dome city on Mars, Seonghwa watches the night sky, waiting for his space soldier to return and take him to the stars.





	Eyes Like Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, more of a warm-up piece than anything so I can practice writing sci-fi, (it's also my first entry into the ATEEZ archive) and I wanted to do something fun. It’s smut with plot and established feelings. Lots of feelings (because that’s the shit I love). My messed up sci-fi loving self also just wanted to try writing a zero-gravity smut scene for no actual reason other than ‘why not’. I want to write more sci-fi for the ATEEZ archive in the future (ATEEZ in s p a c e is my actual aesthetic), but for now, here’s this short piece. It sat 2 paragraphs long in my onedrive for months until I wrote the remaining 7.6K with only an 8 hour sleep and two meals as breaks.  
Also dominant Hongjoong and sub Seonghwa, because I haven’t seen a lot of that and wanted to try something different.  
Hope you guys like it ^^

The beep startled Seonghwa out of his thoughts, the face of his hand terminal lighting up to announce the hour and usher him to bed. He impatiently brushed the alert away, uncaring that it was roughly twenty-three-seventy in the evening and he _really_ should be trying to sleep. How could he, when any one of those ships steadily approaching under a soft burn, lit up like comets as they came in for a landing at Port Ares could have _him_ on it?

He had yet to receive the second call. He’d only received the first one ten hours prior. The message had pinged into his mailbox with the unique jingle Seonghwa had set years before. Though he’d watched it close to a thousand times already that night, he played it again, just to pass the time. Hongjoong’s face lit up in hologram, projected by flickering lasers from the edges of his terminal.

_Hey, little bird,_ Hongjoong’s voice greeted him softly, the dark of his eyes outlined by the static-filled hologram. _I miss your smile. Wait for me._ It was a short message, followed by a timestamp announcing roughly when Hongjoong would be landing. It wouldn’t be long now.

Sighing impatiently, Seonghwa sank heavily onto the magnetic porch swing, letting it sway like a slow pendulum as it bore his weight. It had been eight months since he’d last seen Hongjoong. His journey had taken him far – possibly as far as Earth or Luna. Seonghwa wished desperately that he’d been able to go with him, but with military codes being as strict as they were, it was impossible for Seonghwa to board the vessel.

His terminal chimed once more. Seonghwa’s heart skipped as a countdown emerged soundlessly, with _Port Aries_ written in smooth, chicken scratch handwriting winking beneath the clock. Laughter filled his throat as he leapt to his feet and raced into his apartment. He changed into the outfit he’d laid out hours before and combed his hair into something resembling order. He was out the door and descending the lift before the automatic door lock had finished its sequence.

The streets of Marineris City at Martian midnight were just as active as they were in the middle of the day. Markets loudly shouted their final sales, and bars opened their doors to customers and pumped noisy music into the dwindling crowds. As he ran towards Port Aries, he tuned out the laughter and shouting, focused only on the thought of seeing Hongjoong once more. He stared up at the dome isolating Marineris from the inhospitable Martian environment in an attempt to see past the reflections of streetlights. On his balcony, it was easy to see the ships streaking down from above. In the thick of the worst of Mars’s light pollution, spotting even the largest military spacecraft was next to impossible. Ten minutes remained on Hongjoong’s timer. If it was accurate, his shuttle was already breaking through the atmosphere. The only thing that separated them now was the Marineris Dome, and a few feet of fiberglass and military-grade alloys.

Seonghwa wasn’t the only one waiting for the military ship to dock. Port Aries was crowded with families; husbands, wives, children, and brothers and sisters, as well as friends and fellow soldiers had already gathered at Gate Thirty-Six C. Seonghwa stood on his toes in an attempt to see through the crowded windows, only to find them blocked by human heads and shouting children.

With nothing to do but wait, Seonghwa shifted the timer’s display to the lower corner and began to paint a fresh message into the hologram display with his index finger.

_See you soon,_ he wrote. He paused over the _send _button, feeling as though it were inadequate. After eight months of separation, no words were good enough. Perhaps that was why Hongjoong had sent him the timer. He erased the message with a swipe of his fingertip and impatiently watched the countdown. The slow, downward ticking only made his tension and anticipation rise.

One minute. A child by the window shouted that he could see the shuttle.

Thirty seconds. A security guard ushered the crowd into neat lines to clear a pathway from the airlock doors.

Ten seconds. Seonghwa found himself shoved around as he tried to squeeze himself into the front of the crowd.

Five seconds. He would have to wait near the back.

As the clock touched zero and vanished from sight, Seonghwa waited for the docking chime. The voices around him sounded like a million buzzing bees. Next to him, a woman reassured the child in her arms that ‘daddy would be home soon’. Seonghwa could only hold his breath.

The chime rang out; a tri-tone melody announcing the successful airlock seal. The crowd began to chatter more vigorously. On the shuttle, the soldiers would be getting out of their seats. Seonghwa fidgeted with his hand terminal.

The airlock chimed once more before a robotic voice announced the _Stand Clear_. In flawless formation, ten soldiers emerged from the airlock and marched forward, led by an eleventh marching just ahead. Seonghwa craned his neck to see if Hongjoong was part of this platoon, but he couldn’t see over a child who clambered higher on his father’s shoulders to shout “Mommy!”.

The airlocks closed once more. Half a minute later, they re-opened to release another platoon into Port Aries. Three more times, the airlocks opened and closed, and Seonghwa was finally able to spot Hongjoong through a gap in the crowd. He resisted the urge to wave. The soldiers had not yet been dismissed from duty. Hongjoong’s discipline was the only thing that kept his eyes from darting towards the crowds like many other soldiers who were trying to sneak glances at their loved ones. A tear gleamed on the cheek of the man standing next to Hongjoong.

The heavily decorated general emerged from the airlock next, flanked by a handful of other high-ranking officers. He shouted, and the platoons turned to face him with two, synchronized steps. The sound echoed in Seonghwa’s ears.

The formalities that followed made Seonghwa even more impatient than the countdown clock had. The Martian military enjoyed decorating their soldiers before dismissal, allowing the public to witness medals being pinned upon well-groomed lapels. Seonghwa always hoped, but never truly expected Hongjoong to ever receive one. Though he’d risen in his platoon ranks as years gave him experience, extra credit was almost always denied to him. He was well-known among military perssonel as the ex-pirate who had been conscripted to twenty years of mandatory service in return for a clean record. Nobody trusted him. Nobody wanted to give him more duties than necessary. Hongjoong likely wouldn’t receive anything tonight.

Yet, Seonghwa found himself corrected as the name _Kim Hongjoong_ was called forward. Seonghwa stifled tears as a medal for outstanding service was pinned onto his chest, and the badge promoting him to warrant officer traded hands. Hongjoong’s eyes began to scan the crowd as his resolve finally shattered. Seonghwa was quick to stand on his toes to gain enough leverage for his eyes and forehead to peer above the crowd. Dark eyes met his, and Seonghwa felt the pride swell like a balloon in his chest. Hongjoong’s lips curled just slightly before he forced himself to look away. Seonghwa didn’t miss the rapid blinks that followed.

The general finalized his announcements before saluting, and shouting a dismissal. The soldiers responded with a salute of their own, and their formation shattered. Tears burst from eager eyes like broken dams. Seonghwa stood still as the crowd surged forward in their desperation to reach their loved ones. Spotting a gap, he darted through and sidestepped outstretched hands as he searched for the man he’d missed.

Hongjoong hadn’t moved from his position when the rest of his platoon had broken ranks. His eyes darted left and right, seeking and searching, lingering on the area he had spotted Seonghwa minutes prior. Seonghwa lurched forward – and their eyes met once more.

Hongjoong’s lips broke into a smile. His hat fell from his head as his arms gripped Seonghwa tightly. The wet prickle of tears soaked through shirt in an instant. Hongjoong’s shaking shoulders were the only sign of the near-silent sobs that strangled his voice.

“I’m so proud of you,” Seonghwa choked out, not realizing that his own tears had started to flow too. “I knew it...I knew you could...”

Hongjoong took a deep breath and squeezed him tighter. Seonghwa nearly laughed as the breath was squashed from his lungs. He loosened it a moment later and pulled away just enough to press a hot, teary kiss to Seonghwa’s lips.

“I have another surprise,” Hongjoong said, his voice cracking, but steady. “_Nessie_ got released two months ago. I can pick her up – tonight – right now.”

“You must be tired,” Seonghwa said with a soft laugh, his fingers cupping Hongjoong’s cheeks. “We should rest. We’ll pick her up tomorrow.”

“No,” Hongjoong shook his head. “I need her back just as much as I needed to see you again. I have my licence now – it’s legal, and _Nessie_ has all of her papers. I want to...I _need_ to fly her again.”

Seonghwa knew it was futile to tell Hongjoong to rest for a second time. There was a spark in his eyes he reserved for two things in the universe: Seonghwa, and the stars. He had Seonghwa back. All that he was missing were the stars he loved more than the terraformed, rocky surface of Mars.

“Okay,” Seonghwa said with a nod. “Let’s go get her.”

Hongjoong led the way, his military boots clunking heavily with each step. Seonghwa had to jog to keep up with his pace, but he didn’t ask Hongjoong to slow down. He knew what _Nessie_ meant to Hongjoong.

The small spacecraft looked much the same as it had six years ago when it had been impounded. Locked behind heavy steel doors in an airlocked hangar, Hongjoong had only been allowed to watch through a small window as they stripped his beloved _Nautilus_ Model 4C to the bare bones and cut out every modification he’d given it. Seonghwa had feared Hongjoong wouldn’t make it without her. The weeks that followed after giving her up were almost enough to make Seonghwa regret ever stepping into his life.

Hongjoong never uttered a single complaint about the loss of _Nessie_, but Seonghwa had seen the pain in his eyes. He’d seen the way his gaze would longingly follow the comets streaking out of Port Aries as he awaited his first training date. He’d heard him sobbing in frustration when Seonghwa came home earlier than expected, endured the fits of anger that weren’t directed at him, and watched as Hongjoong let go of everything that had defined him for over a decade.

He watched Hongjoong remake himself into a better man so he could love Seonghwa in peace, even if the initial stages hadn’t been pretty.

For six years, he’d poured his money into the impound center to keep them from scrapping _Nessie_. Finally, those six years were at an end. Hongjoong’s hands were shaking as he signed off the papers and paid the remaining impound fees. A fresh, verbal warning from the port officers on illegal modifications fell on deaf ears as the hangar was unlocked. Hongjoong would likely boost _Nessie’s_ drive again, but only with legally procured components.

Seonghwa stood back as Hongjoong put his hands on his ship for the first time since letting her go. He allowed the moment to be private, letting Hongjoong run his fingers over the silver skin. A handful of scratches and dents lingered on the hull; old battle scars she shared with Hongjoong’s history.

The impound officer cleared his throat, breaking the intimate silence. “Officer Song Mingi has been maintaining your ship, since your payments were always on-time. He developed real love for her. She should still be vacuum worthy, but I wouldn’t go too far from atmosphere. It’s been six years, after all.”

“Thank you,” Hongjoong said, and the genuine gratitude in his voice made Seonghwa tear up.

The officer cleared his throat and fidgeted. “Yeah, well...you’re welcome, kid. Don’t let it end up back here. She’s a fine model. They don’t make _Nautilus’s_ like that anymore. Get in, and I’ll open the airlock so you can take her to the Port.”

As the officer stepped away, Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s eyes with a smile.

“Want me to meet you at home...?” He asked. “I’ll wait up for you.”

Hongjoong blinked and tilted his head to the side. “Home? No. You’re coming with me.”

“What—?” Seonghwa froze at the thought. He’d never left the domes before, let alone the planet.

“Come on,” Hongjoong beckoned. “We’ll just be up until dawn, then we’ll go home.”

“I thought you never wanted to take me on your ship,” Seonghwa reminded.

“That was when I had the solar system after my head, and too many enemies to count.” Hongjoong tapped the medal pinned to his chest. “I’m a military man now. And _Nessie_ is registered. It’s safe for you to be with me now.”

Seonghwa began to fidget. “But...I’ve never...I couldn’t...”

“You can,” Hongjoong reached for him and held his hands. “I will be with you.”

Seonghwa trembled at the thought of his feet leaving the familiar gravel of Mars. He thought of sandstorms and meteoroids and all of the things that could go terrifyingly wrong.

But Hongjoong’s eyes were warm and genuine. They sparkled like a thousand stars, eager and excited to share one of the things he loved the most.

“Okay,” Seonghwa agreed, and Hongjoong grinned brightly.

Pressing a button on _Nessie’s_ landing gear, an airlock hissed before a hatch gaped wide. Hongjoong reached up to pull the ladder down and climbed into the hull of his ship with six, easy steps. Seonghwa nervously followed, his breath catching as he felt his toe leave the red dust that lingered from the last opening of the airlock. He said a silent farewell to Mars – his home – and let the airlock swing shut.

The ship’s interior was cramped, barely allowing two people to walk abreast. Hongjoong navigated it as if he’d only left yesterday. He ran his fingers along the walls and paused to pick at old nicks that looked suspiciously like soft bullet impacts, and made his way up one more ladder and into the cockpit.

Hongjoong sank into the seat and flicked a single switch. An electronic hum filled the silent space as displays lit up. Seonghwa couldn’t tell what any of them meant, but Hongjoong’s delicate fingers painted lines across the screens, swiping between each green status in detail. Finally, Hongjoong gripped the helm and began to key the ignition sequence. The ship began to sing as it woke from a long slumber, rumbling with an almost subliminal hum.

“Have a seat there, Seonghwa, and buckle in,” Hongjoong said, pointing to a seat that could only be reserved for the co-pilot.

“I can’t sit there,” Seonghwa protested nervously. “I can’t fly a spaceship.”

“You don’t need to. It takes one to fly a _Nautilus_,” Hongjoong said confidently. “That’s the navigator’s seat. My partner used to sit there.”

“What happened to him?” Seonghwa couldn’t help but ask, his fingers curling around the arm rest.

“After he found out about you, he left the crew. He flies with the Blackwings now.” Hongjoong sighed, his thumbs brushing over the well-worn matte of the helm. “I tried to convince him to give up the life with me, but he wouldn’t do it. Piracy is all he’s ever known. He didn’t have anything like you to convince him to change his life.”

Seonghwa felt the softness fill his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of Hongjoong’s head, letting his crew cut hair tickle his cheeks. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Hongjoong reached up to hold Seonghwa’s head in place. He turned to press a brief kiss to his lips.

“Sit down,” he said again. “I want to take you to the stars.”

Slowly, Seonghwa sat down, feeling the plush gel of the seat hugging his body. He pulled the buckles over his chest and clipped them into place. Hongjoong watched to make sure he did it correctly before buckling himself in and turning on the communicator.

“Aries, this is PC 1562, _Nautilus_ Model 4C, requesting permission to enter atmosphere from Impound Hangar 22,” Hongjoong spoke, his tone containing the practiced military drone Seonghwa was slowly becoming familiar with.

_Copy, PC 1562, what is your destination?_ A woman’s voice responded, sounding just as official if not more so.

“High Orbit,” Hongjoong responded, making Seongwha’s heart lurch. “Will return by 08:00 hours to dock at Port Aries.”

_Confirming. Stand by._

Hongjoong’s fingers flexed around the helm in a nervous fidget that had Seonghwa on edge. He wondered how different the takeoff procedures were now that he had to do it legally. Seonghwa was already getting impatient, but it might’ve been more fear than desire to take off.

_PC 1562, Impound airlock 22 opening in plus thirty seconds. _

Hongjoong’s lips moved as he counted down, his eyes staring through the vacuum proof windshield coated in a heads-up display. Seonghwa’s heart began to beat faster as he realized that soon it would be the only thing separating them from Mars’s icy, inhospitable atmosphere.

The airlock cracked open and Seonghwa shuddered before he realized he could still breathe.

_PC 1562, you are clear for takeoff. Please begin atmospheric exit procedures._

The ship lurched forward, and Seonghwa found himself gripping the arm rests. The engine whirred as it left the hangar behind. The distant horizon vanished in a cloud of swirling, red dust.

“Deep breath and hold it, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong urged. “Square your shoulders and keep your feet flat on the floor. Keep your chin up and your head facing forward. The chair is rated for ten Gs, so let it do the work.”

Seonghwa trembled as he did as he was told, inhaling as deeply as he could before Hongjoong punched the throttle.

Red dust shot away from the window as _Nessie_ picked up speed. Seonghwa immediately understood why Hongjoong had told him to breathe in. If he hadn’t been prepared, the breath would’ve been knocked from his lungs. His head pressed into the back of his seat, cradled firmly by the high impact gel beneath him. The ship trembled as it shot higher and higher. Seonghwa felt the pressure fluctuate in his ears as the cabin began adjusting for vacuum.

The shaking began to subside as deep blue peeled into the inky black of space. The once twinkling stars turned into solid pinpricks of light hovering thousands of lightyears in the distance. The pockmarked surface of Phobos grew clearer than he’d ever seen it before.

Seonghwa felt his weight vanish as Hongjoong pulled them into an orbital arc around Mars. The nose spun, turning to point down at the planet they called home. Seonghwa leaned forward, taking in the smears of red in every shade knew, and some he’d never seen before. The dome cities gleamed like illuminated fishbowls on a crimson and rust patchwork surface. In the distance, he saw the sun, closer than any other star, shining from the other side of the disc that had become Mars. Despite his initial fears of what leaving the planet would be like, Seonghwa felt tears fill his eyes at the beauty of it.

The ship began to rotate once more, the cockpit window turning away from Mars to face the distant stars, far brighter than what could be seen on the surface. The motions stabilized, and the heads-up display showed their flight path: a perfect arc around Mars. The green dot that displayed their ship pulsed with a beacon, alerting nearby ships to their location to prevent collisions. Blue bubbles like scattered beads with steady flight path arcs revealed the dozens of other ships within range, each one in orbit, or heading to and away from the planet below. The display vanished to a smaller cockpit screen with the push of a button. There was a click, and Hongjoong slid from his restraints and floated towards the empty window.

Frozen, Seonghwa could only stare at the graceful curve of Hongjoong’s body. He was so still, Seonghwa almost thought he’d fallen unconscious. But Hongjoong’s hands rose a moment later to still his inertia against the window. He pushed away from it just enough that he floated in place, his toes delicately pointed downwards like a ballerina. The badge on his chest hovered just above his lapel, held only by the pin, and the tails of his jacket rose in a soft, almost imperceptible swell.

In zero gravity, Hongjoong looked ethereal. He looked like he was truly home.

“Military vessels don’t have windows,” Hongjoong said, his voice breathless. “They only have displays in the common areas and our bunks to allow us to see what’s on the other side of the walls. It’s not the same, Seonghwa. It’s been six years. I never thought I’d see this view again.”

Held in place by his restraints, Seonghwa could only fidget, torn between watching Hongjoong float and drying his tears.

“I was on board a smaller shuttle, travelling eight days to an earth-based vessel to do exchange work with sixty-two other soldiers,” Hongjoong continued. “Pirates attacked the shuttle. They took out our engines and damaged half of our life support systems before we shot them down. Thirty-six men and women died that night.”

“Is that why you got your medal...?” Seonghwa asked faintly.

“I got my medal because I was the fastest in zero gravity,” Hongjoong continued. “I sealed the airlocks threatening to leak what was left of our oxygen into space. I doomed twenty to die in shattered compartments for the good of the rest in the intact ones. I led engineers in environment suits down to the crippled engines and hotwired it when they couldn’t repair it. With the captain one of the thirty-six, I piloted the shuttle to the aid ships and stayed on board until the rest were taken for medical care. I became a leader worthy of a medal in the eyes of the survivors, but thirty-six people had to die for it to happen.”

“Hongjoong, you couldn’t have stopped it...” Seonghwa pointed out. “None of this is your fault.”

“I know.” Hongjoong closed his eyes, the tears on his eyelashes reflecting the distant light of the stars. “But I can’t let myself be proud to wear this medal, even if the general himself decided to award it to me based on the survivor’s accounts. Not right now.”

“And the promotion...?” Seonghwa asked.

“They want me to oversee specialty training. They want me to teach the skills only I know from being a pirate. They want me to train recruits in emergency zero-gravity maneuvers and how to repair an engine with improvised materials in the event of a critical failure. They want me to teach soldiers how to spot and fight pirates the way they fight us. And I _agreed_.”

“You’re amazing, Hongjoong, at everything you do.” Seonghwa responded. “I’m glad they finally see it too.”

“This is the end of it. When I accepted the promotion, there was no going back.” Hongjoong finally turned away from the starfield to face Seonghwa. “I will never be a pirate again. When I teach these men how to take down a ship, I will be letting the people who raised me and taught me to survive die. Do you know what the scariest part is, Seonghwa?”

Slowly, Seonghwa shook his head.

“I feel more for the men and women who died on that shuttle than the pirates who will die from my teaching.” Hongjoong’s expression was intense, and Seonghwa feared the wild animal that lived within his boyfriend once more. “I will never escape my own years of piracy, but I swear, I will be worthy of redemption. I will be worthy of you.”

“You already are,” Seonghwa felt his eyes grow hot. A tear dripped from his eye and hovered in front of him, suspended like a colourless pearl. He tried to brush it away with his hand, only for it to shatter into a dozen smaller droplets.

Hongjoong pushed off the cockpit window, effortlessly gliding towards Seonghwa. His hair, though cut short, swirled like coral fronds beneath the ocean.

“I need to prove it to myself,” Hongjoong said, taking Seonghwa’s hands in his. “But right now, I need you to be with me. I’ve missed you. So much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Seonghwa breathed, closing his eyes as their lips met. For a handful of fleeting moments, Seonghwa wondered what they must look like, kissing softly while Hongjoong hovered above him like a ghost.

“Come on,” Hongjoong grinned wickedly, reaching down to undo Seonghwa’s belt.

“Oh—” Seonghwa protested for a moment before Hongjoong’s hands tugged him from his seat with an almost imperceptible pull. For a moment, he felt stable, and the next his legs were flailing for purchase on anything it could find. His toe bumped something hard and sent him tumbling in an endless spiral, Hongjoong following like a fish through water.

“Don’t panic,” Hongjoong chortled, swinging an arm out to stabilize their movements. “Just fly – like this.”

And he floated away with the lightest brush of his fingertips against the cockpit ceiling. Seonghwa reached for him, but found himself stumbling in an unknown, floating without a handhold. He tilted sideways, and he felt panic rise in his throat as the floor rushed up to him, but he never felt it. It stayed just out of reach, impossible to touch, but close enough that it felt possible.

Seonghwa’s hands found purchase on the top of the chair he’d been sitting in. He gripped it in an effort to stabilize himself. Hongjoong floated near the window, like a swimmer treading water. He held his arms out, waiting for him. Seonghwa took aim, and pushed himself off the chair.

“Gently—” Hongjoong began, only to have the wind knocked out of him when Seonghwa’s body collided with his. They bounced off the cockpit window and began to spin once more. Hongjoong’s laughter was infectious, and Seonghwa couldn’t help but join him, gripping the front of his military jacket.

“I’m not very good at this,” Seonghwa mumbled.

“You don’t have to be,” Hongjoong said with a smile. “Just hold on to me.”

Seonghwa smiled and held on, pulling Hongjoong closer to himself. The motion nudged them gently away from the wall. Seonghwa saw the cockpit tilt once more, but Hongjoong’s hands on his hips kept him from panicking.

“You look so beautiful like this,” Hongjoong murmured, his lips finding the curve of Seonghwa’s throat.

“I’m sure I look r-ridiculous,” Seonghwa stammered, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

“You’re stunning,” Hongjoong’s lips travelled along his jawline. Seonghwa closed his eyes and exhaled breathlessly.

“A-All I can do is stumble,” Seonghwa managed to get out. “You know how to move without gravity.”

“And you will learn, and I will find out what an angel looks like.”

Seonghwa found his flustered retort smothered by Hongjoong’s lips. The kiss was soft and slow – the kind of kisses Seonghwa had become familiar with when Hongjoong was always around. Hovering in orbit above the planet they called home, they had all of the time in the world. Seonghwa trailed his fingers through the soft, short hair at the nape of Hongjoong’s neck. He briefly missed the days his hair was long enough that Seonghwa could pull on it. The military standard haircut took away his wildness, but accentuated his handsome features.

Hongjoong’s hands slid beneath Seonghwa’s shirt, peeling back the only layer that separated his body from the cockpit air. Hongjoong’s hands were hot against his cool skin. Seonghwa barely stifled a gasp when fingertips brushed over his already stiff nipples. He whined softly as Hongjoong toyed with him, rolling his nipples between his fingertips the way he did when he wanted to wind Seonghwa up.

It was working.

Gasping, Seonghwa’s back arched away from Hongjoong, his body twisting through the air. Without a bed beneath them, every movement of Seonghwa’s body sent them spinning. Hongjoong followed with the slightest flick of his toes, his dark eyes glinting mischievously. His hands never once lost contact with Seonghwa’s body. Not for the first time, Seonghwa thought with certainty that Hongjoong looked like a predator. Without gravity, Seonghwa felt like his prisoner – like a mouse at the mercy of the cat.

“D-Do you remember the f-first time you came home in your u-uniform?” Seonghwa questioned, his face starting to heat up at the memory. Hongjoong had stepped into the house, flustered and embarrassed, struggling to recognize himself in the mirror without the gun strapped to his hip and the oil stained shirt and pants that never fit right after being mended over thirty times.

Seonghwa didn’t give him time to linger with an identity crisis. He’d gripped Hongjoong by the lapels and kissed him as though his life depended on it. They didn’t rest until the clean pressed uniform was on the floor, and the room was filled with their sated, exhausted breathing.

Hongjoong’s cheeks tinted pink, his eyes darting shyly to the side. “I remember,” he said, biting the inside of his lip in a familiar habit.

“I w-want that again,” Seonghwa stammered. “Right here.”

“Do you want me to turn the gravity back on?” Hongjoong questioned, starting to reach for his control panel.

“No,” Seonghwa gripped his wrist, surprised at even his own daring. “Take me like this.”

The hungry gleam was back in Hongjoong’s eyes. Seonghwa wondered if he’d thought of this before – if he’d had sex someone without gravity in the past, before he’d fallen in love – if Hongjoong had spent six years imagining what it would be like to do this with Seonghwa.

“Sometimes I wonder if you like the old me more than you like this me,” Hongjoong grinned, licking playfully over Seonghwa’s lips, drawing a shaky breath from his throat.

“I l-like some p-parts of the o-old you,” Seonghwa stammered.

“Like what...?” Hongjoong teased, leaning over him as they slowly became suspended upside down in the cockpit. Seonghwa resisted the urge to grip the back of the chair as it slid close enough to reach. He gripped Hongjoong’s jacket instead.

“Like how you always took what you wanted,” Seonghwa’s heart skipped a beat. “And never apologized for it.” Back then, Seonghwa had been Hongjoong’s little secret – a precious jewel he kept only for himself. While he was happy that Hongjoong no longer insisted they hide from the public eye and his potential enemies, Seonghwa missed the heart-pounding way the pirate would kiss him behind steel _Do Not Enter_ signs. His kisses were just as exciting now as they were back then, but Hongjoong’s military duties made them far less frequent.

“I still take what I want,” Hongjoong stated. “I’m just more selective about it.”

“So, do it now,” Seonghwa goaded. “Or have you never thought about this before?”

Hongjoong let out a laugh; a harsh bark that was a trademark from his pirate days. It was the laugh that meant danger to his enemies. For Seonghwa, it meant he’d pushed the right buttons.

With a flick of his wrist, Hongjoong sent them back towards the cockpit window. Seonghwa gasped as the cool surface met his back. The light of space leaked onto Hongjoong’s face, brightening his dark eyes into a dangerous gleam and throwing his sharp features into contrast. Seonghwa’s breath caught in his throat, and he threaded his fingers into Hongjoong’s short hair.

“Oh Seonghwa,” Hongjoong said, his arms boxing Seonghwa against the window. “I’ve _dreamed_ of this.”

Seonghwa had never thought about what it would be like to kiss Hongjoong with only a window guarding them from the vacuum of space. He’d felt the glass of his apartment window beneath his palms, and the hot, thick glass of the Marineris Dome in a restricted area, but never the icy bite of space-grade shatterproof glass. It snatched his breath away, the sound swallowed by the hungry movements of Hongjoong’s lips. His shirt slid higher, exposing him to the many eyes of the stars. The kiss broke long enough for Hongjoong to discard it. It floated away like an eerie cloud, rippling with the faint movements of the air circulators. Seonghwa’s pale skin gleamed in the cockpit lights, and Hongjoong dove on him, his lips painting trails over his chest.

“Ah...” Seonghwa gasped, his head thudding against the window as Hongjoong’s tongue licked over his nipple. Without Hongjoong’s bracing hands, they began to float away once more. Seonghwa reached an arm out in an effort to grip the cockpit window, only to have the slap of his palm push them further away. Seonghwa gasped again, his eyes closing as Hongjoong didn’t flinch, only gripping his hips tightly enough that he didn’t drift away from him. His uncanny control without a surface to stand on turned Seonghwa on in ways he didn’t think was possible.

“Hongjoong,” Seonghwa gasped, fumbling for the decorated jacket, trying to push it off. His shaking fingers struggled to gain purchase on the buttons.

Hongjoong hummed his playful laughter, releasing Seonghwa’s hips and floating just out of reach. One by one, Hongjoong undid the buttons on his jacket, letting it fall open in a slow, teasing motion. Seonghwa’s fingers gripped at air, his feet kicking uselessly as he tried to reach Hongjoong. The ex-pirate always danced just out of reach, undoing his buttons one at a time. Seonghwa could see his clavicle, then the outlines of his pectorals, the soft bumps of abdominal muscles, his navel, and the soft, dark trail leading into the well-pressed military slacks.

“Coming...?” Hongjoong teased, letting the loose garments flutter, exposing just enough to make Seonghwa frustrated, but not enough to bring him satisfaction.

“Damn it, Hongjoong—” Seonghwa growled, lunging forward, but once again finding Hongjoong just out of his reach.

“What’s the matter?” Hongjoong tilted his head to the side, soft lips curled in a cheeky smile. “Can’t reach me?”

“Just—come here,” Seonghwa gasped.

“Say ‘please’.”

Seonghwa didn’t want to play this game. “Please,” he begged, his heart thumping as Hongjoong’s smile only widened.

“Maybe I’m enjoying the view,” he said easily.

Seonghwa couldn’t help but look at himself, realizing with a hot flush that his muscles were flexing with the effort to stabilize himself and catch Hongjoong at the same time. He could see his faint reflection in the cockpit window – dark hair fluttering like a halo around his ears, ruffling in the smallest breeze. From this angle, he could understand how a pirate like Hongjoong had fallen for a skinny boy who stumbled into the wrong hangar by mistake.

Hongjoong’s arms wrapped around him, his hot body pressing into Seonghwa’s back. He felt a hard bulge press into his thigh and stifled a moan. He gripped the arms wrapped around his waist, determined to keep Hongjoong from floating away from him again.

Lips fell firmly onto the curve of Seonghwa’s throat. Little by little, Seonghwa came undone, soft pants turning into quiet whimpers with each bite Hongjoong left on his skin. Hongjoong’s arms slid free of Seonghwa’s grip, inching downwards until fingers began to undo the button of Seonghwa’s jeans. He shuddered at the sensation, his breath hitching.

Hongjoong’s hand slid into the front of his jeans without hesitation. Seonghwa moaned as skin met his already sensitive length and pulled it free. Hongjoong groaned softly against his throat, his free hand pulling Seonghwa’s hips back against his own bulge. Bucking his hips, Seonghwa whimpered softly in a plea for more.

“Kick your shoes off,” Hongjoong ordered, and Seonghwa did as he was told, toeing them off and letting them bounce off the floor with two, soft clunks. Hongjoong guided his jeans down next, letting them float to the back of the cockpit where his shirt still hovered near an intake vent.

“Stars, you’re so gorgeous,” Hongjoong breathed, his hands sliding south, exploring places they hadn’t seen for eight months. Seonghwa shivered, his body curling beneath each touch.

Little by little, Seonghwa found himself twisted and prodded, wound up and left shaking. Hongjoong’s fingers were thorough, seeking his favourite areas and touching where Seonghwa liked it most. Fingertips trailed over his hips and back up to his nipples, coarse fingertips brushing over sensitive skin and drawing lavish sounds from Seonghwa’s throat. His lips traced soft patterns beneath his jaw, forcing Seonghwa’s head back onto Hongjoong’s shoulder, where the collar of his jacket had begun to bunch and rumple with the buttons undone. The sting of teeth as Hongjoong left a mark on his skin made Seonghwa moan loudly enough that it seemed to echo within the enclosed space.

“H-Hongjoong—please,” Seonghwa gasped, gripping his boyfriend’s wrist and pushing it down. His cock was throbbing an angry red, and he was desperate to feel Hongjoong’s skillful fingers where his body needed it the most.

“So impatient,” Hongjoong murmured, sounding more teasing than annoyed at having his extensive worship of Seonghwa’s body interrupted.

At the first touch, Seonghwa squirmed in Hongjoong’s grip. The strong arm around his waist was the only thing that kept him from floating away as his toe clipped the wall. Hongjoong laughed softly under his breath, as though the latest spin through the cockpit entertained him. It made Seonghwa dizzy, but the slow movements of Hongjoong’s hand was making him just as disoriented. The instability, coupled with familiar pleasures had Seonghwa coming undone faster than he would’ve liked. His body shuddered, but a swift grip from Hongjoong’s hand denied him the orgasm that threatened to shatter him like glass. He let out a choked moan, falling limp in Hongjoong’s arms.

“Not now, my little bird. I need to have my fun with you,” Hongjoong purred. He moved Seonghwa easily, manipulating him with an effortless touch without gravity holding him back. The feeling was euphoric. Seonghwa’s hands grasped at air, struggling to find purchase on something – anything – to set his mind straight.

“Lube is hard to use like this. It gets everywhere,” Hongjoong said, and Seonghwa moaned as he realized what was coming. “And it’s not exactly appropriate to carry it in a military bag, so I don’t have any with me. But I’ll make sure you’re looked after. Promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much?”

“Y-Yes,” Seonghwa breathed, trying not to close his legs as Hongjoong pushed his ass cheeks apart, leaving him exposed as he hovered in a void with nothing beneath him.

Hongjoong’s tongue was hot and wet against his hole, and Seonghwa keened. He squirmed as the licks went deeper, Hongjoong’s tongue piercing him next to a single finger. His hands reached for anything it could find, but nothing but air brushed his fingertips. He’d never felt so out of control. Hongjoong’s hand gripped him effortlessly, keeping him in place even when his body twisted with pleasure. It was like sinking through water – like drowning in air when he could still breathe.

Seonghwa wasn’t used to doing this without lube, but Hongjoong was keeping his promise. The pain of each additional finger was brief, and Hongjoong moved slowly enough to give him enough time to adjust to the slow stretch. The movements were slow, but the curl of Hongjoong’s fingertips inside of him drove him wild. He’d longed for this for eight months. Hongjoong always knew where to touch, and for how long. He knew Seonghwa inside and out.

As the fingers slid out of him, Seonghwa shuddered. He whimpered; his body boneless as hands turned him around once more. He heard the jingle of a belt buckle, and two thumps as Hongjoong’s combat boots fell from his feet. His jacket rustled as it slid from his shoulders.

“Look at me,” Hongjoong whispered, and Seonghwa did as he was told.

Hongjoong had scars. Old gunshot wounds and long, slender slashes from knives that had grazed him littered Hongjoong’s torso, back, arms and legs. Seonghwa had spent hours pouring over each one, and asking when he grew curious. Hongjoong remembered each one. He had new scars now – likely from the attack on the shuttle. Shrapnel had struck him in the thigh and shoulder. The stitches had long since been taken out, but the wounds were still ragged and red. Seonghwa wondered if they pained him. He touched them gently, one at a time, tracing them, getting to know Hongjoong’s newest features now that they had been offered to him.

“You’re beautiful,” Seonghwa breathed, leaning into Hongjoong’s hands. Slowly, they revolved in front of the window, the distant stars nothing more than steady lanterns. Seonghwa didn’t mind them watching.

Hongjoong’s cheeks flushed pale pink. His hands guided Seonghwa’s head downwards. He didn’t need to be asked.

Slowly, Seonghwa wrapped his lips around the head of Hongjoong’s cock. He kept himself steady by gripping the backs of Hongjoong’s thighs, knowing the trembling hands in his hair wouldn’t be steady for long. Hongjoong’s moan was euphoric, and Seonghwa didn’t hesitate to lick every inch of the long, hard cock he could reach. He swallowed Hongjoong whole, uncaring about the spit that lingered on his cheek, hovering without gravity to pull it down.

Beneath him, Hongjoong shuddered. His hand pulled Seonghwa off, leaving his cock gleaming, slick and damp. A thin trail broke from Seonghwa’s lip as he wiped it away. Hongjoong’s mouth collided with his, a hungry, wanting tongue meeting his own. It was over before Seonghwa had caught his breath.

Hongjoong spun him around, thrusting his fingers into his mouth. They lingered only for a moment before he was painting Seonghwa’s insides once more, making him shout breathlessly as his body twitched beneath the stimulation.

“Remember what I said,” Hongjoong murmured against his ear. “If it’s too much, tell me. Please.”

Seonghwa could only nod, allowing his body to fold, wrapping his arms around himself in preparation for what was to come. The cockpit window reflected their position like a wicked mirror, backed by the eyes of thousands of stars.

Without lube, the penetration hurt. Seonghwa swallowed a gasp, squeezing his eyes shut as Hongjoong’s hands guided his hips backwards. Without weight, they didn’t have to worry about the exhaustion of holding each other up. He could be taken from behind without the ache in his arms from keeping himself upright. Hongjoong wouldn’t need to support his hips when his knees grew too weak. Seonghwa trembled as he pondered the different ways they could do this without the barriers of gravity. Even before they’d properly started, Seonghwa knew he would do this again.

Seonghwa moaned as he felt Hongjoong’s thighs meet his ass. His body trembled as he listened to Hongjoong pant softly. Hot hands slid over his body, pulling Seonghwa’s arms away from his chest. He laced their fingers together, Hongjoong’s lips pressing to the groove of his neck and shoulder, giving him time – letting him adjust to the stretch after an eight-month absence.

Seonghwa shifted his hips, drawing a groan from Hongjoong’s throat.

“Go,” Seonghwa ordered, feeling the sweat beading on his forehead as Hongjoong began to roll his hips.

He started slow, the motion raw and grating with nothing to aid the movements. Seonghwa shuddered at the rough sensations pulling at his insides. In a masochistic way, it felt good. There was nothing between him and Hongjoong. His hole clenched tight from the stimulation, resisting Hongjoong’s movements and drawing whimpering moans from both of them.

Little by little, Seonghwa’s body relaxed, relinquishing its hold on Hongjoong’s cock and allowing him to roll his hips with steadier motions. Seonghwa gasped, feeling the tip of Hongjoong’s cock easily press where it felt best, the curve and angle just right.

“O-Oh,” Seonghwa gasped when it happened again, and then twice more. It felt impossible – the only time Hongjoong had ever found this angle was with his hands – or with a toy.

“Right there?” Hongjoong panted, barely needing an answer before he was thrusting _just like that_, and Seonghwa’s body clenched tight with pleasure. Hongjoong threw his head back with a moan, his body shuddering in response.

Seonghwa didn’t dare move. He couldn’t, anyway. Hongjoong’s hands kept him perfectly still as he thrust into Seonghwa’s ass, the strength of the motions just overcoming their inertia. Seonghwa reached out, his hands brushing against the cockpit wall. He focused just enough to nudge his fingertips away, sending them back just enough to hover in front of the window once more. Seonghwa saw his reflection. Hongjoong saw it too.

His back arched gracefully; dark hair spread like a fan in stark contrast to his pale skin. Hongjoong’s hand slid forwards and curled around Seonghwa’s cock, gently pumping it in time with thrusts that had long since stopped teasing him.

With the stars as their witnesses, Seonghwa’s voice cried out. Hongjoong held him steady, breathless groans a perfect harmony to the lewd slap of skin on skin. Seonghwa’s vision darkened just before he came. Hongjoong’s hand caught most of it, keeping the sticky fluid from floating further than a few inches away. Seonghwa trembled in his high, watching the reflection with muted fascination as Hongjoong finished himself off in his clenching hole. His groan was like ecstasy. Seonghwa closed his eyes to listen. With nothing but Hongjoong’s skin on his back, he felt as though he’d reached nirvana.

As Seonghwa floated, Hongjoong dug a rag out of one of the drawers in the cockpit. With gentle hands, he cleaned Seonghwa before catching anything stray that might tumble onto his equipment when the gravity returned. He opened his eyes when Hongjoong’s hands cupped his cheeks. He met the warm gaze that had never changed – not even when Hongjoong was a pirate.

“I love you,” he breathed, catching Seonghwa’s lips in a warm, breathless kiss.

Unable to respond with his words, Seonghwa poured his feelings into the movement of his lips. He knew Hongjoong had understood when their hands slid together once more, this time, with a thin, metal ring clasped between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hongjoong's spaceship is named Nessie because he wanted his ship to be like the Loch Ness Monster - rumoured, but never actually seen. And it's an adorable name.
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @thatstarlitsky for ATEEZ and ASTRO spam and the occasional wordcount brag (with an emphasis on the s p a m)


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